What if I Change My Mind About Cremation After I Pre-plan My Funeral?

As we put our work life in the rearview mirror and fast forward into the much-anticipated retirement years, it is really very common to want to get our ducks in a row. This usually includes financial planning, health care planning, legacy planning, and advance planning for how our closing ceremony will be carried out.

Taking care of all of these tasks usually leaves people with a sense of relief. Once all the responsible things have been taken care of, we get to shake off the cloak of responsibility we have been wearing for a long time. Yippee! We are retired. For a few years at least, we can go where we want to go and do what we want to do. Something most retirees haven’t had the luxury of doing in a very long time.

Occasionally, there is some hesitation about planning for the closing ceremony. Everyone knows they can adjust their finances as the economic situation changes. They know they can change their advance directives and their power of attorney for health care or change their will. But they seem to feel if they make decisions regarding their final disposition, burial or cremation, that decision will be carved in stone. Not so. 

Any of the funeral plans made with your funeral home can be changed or amended. Just as with the will, advance directives, and financial plans, as long as you live, you have the power to make changes. 

If your plan included cremation and you find being cremated no longer feels right for you or your family, the plan can be changed. You would simply call the funeral home and set up an appointment with the staff member in charge of advanced funeral planning. Tell them you want to review the funeral plan you have on file. The funeral director will help you bring your plan in line with your current wishes. Of course, the same is true if you wish to change your plan from burial to cremation. Or, if your faith has changed and you want to include a new church in your plan. 

In short, no one need avoid planning for their closing ceremony because they are not 100% sure about the burial or cremation choice.